Electronic Warfare Systems

BAE Systems Australia is a leading supplier of Electronic Warfare (EW) capability to the Australian Defence Force (ADF). With an unprecedented 25 years experience in modelling, design, development, test, evaluation and support across the spectrum of EW applications, our capabilities are employed across the land, sea and air domains.

Australia’s National EW asset:BAE Systems Australia’s EW capabilities have been developed for more than 25 years to produce a generation of indigenous EW expertise that spans the Electronic Support (ES), Electronic Attack (EA), EW Integrated Systems and In Service Support disciplines. With more than 300 staff employed on EW projects, BAE Systems Australia is the largest EW organisation in Australia. Customers include the scientific and operational arms of the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) and foreign prime contractors delivering EW Systems into Australia.

Our capabilities are scalable, enabling us to execute large, complex integration tasks concurrent with small development projects and quick reaction activities. This is a result of strong linkages with in-company platform integration specialists as well as our own subject matter experts in a number of enabling technologies.

Electronic Support (ES):BAE Systems Australia is experienced in the development and support of ES systems, designed to meet a wide variety of applications from hand held devices to highly complex systems. Our experts have a wide experience of ES technologies and techniques necessary to build such systems to our customers exacting requirements.

Our heritage includes development of radar warning receivers for tactical applications, where threat reporting speed and accuracy are paramount. This required the development of special receiver and software architectures that had never been attempted in Australia, which then gave rise to the EW capabilities we hold today.

BAE Systems Australia has also developed a range of systems for strategic, non-Comms EW ELINT applications, demanding accurate measurement and signal processing of complex environments. As a prime contractor, BAE Systems Australia developed the PRISM Naval Electronic Support Measures (ESM) which performs a critical role in intelligence gathering and self protection. PRISM has been fitted to Fremantle Class Patrol Boats, Minehunter Coastal Fleets, Australian Customs Fleets and is currently in production for the Armidale Class Patrol Boats. A variant is also in service with RAAF 41Wing HQ Air Defence Regiment.

BAE Systems Australia has equipped the AP-3C maritime patrol capability with the ALR-2001 ESM and is now under contract for the mid-life upgrade of the system. The ALR-2001 has also provided a basis for the delivery of an integrated ESM system into the Wedgetail AEW&C capability whereby BAE Systems is working with Boeing as a sub-contractor.

Electronic Attack:Overcoming the Electronic Protection measures built into threat systems is widely recognised as the most technically challenging role to be delivered by an EW system. BAE Systems Australia is uniquely positioned to deliver systems based on Radio Frequency (RF) and Electro Optic (EO) based “jamming” systems that are designed to defeat threats in a non-lethal manner.

Other than simple passive chaff systems, Naval RF EA Systems have yet to be acquired by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). This is all set to change with the foreshadowing of EA requirements for all RAN capital ship projects over the next decade. In response to this customer requirement, BAE Systems Australia is developing a demonstrator of a break-through EA technology under the “Cuttlefish” program, with a goal of achieving denial of targeting information to an adversary. BAE Systems Australia is actively involved in the development and support of Airborne RF EA systems, supporting the DoD in the operation of the “ECM Test Bed” which explores and evaluates EA techniques in the laboratory and in a representative battlespace using a Learjet. The EL/L-8222 ECM pod which provides self-protection from radar guided missiles is currently on the RAAF F-111, and will soon be on the F/A-18 aircraft.

BAE Systems Australia has also developed a complete EO EA, or Directed IR Countermeasures (DIRCM), demonstrator. Utilising a COTS missile approach warner, the DIRCM demonstrator has a small footprint turret that can direct the indigenously developed multi-band laser to counter IR guided missile threats.

EW Integrated Systems:

BAE Systems Australia is at the forefront of EW integration in the airborne and maritime domains, understanding that the whole is always greater than the sum of its parts.

Airborne EW systems BAE Systems Australia has provided include a suite controller to combine the AEW&C radar warning, missile warning, DIRCM particular radar warning, missile warning, DIRCM and chaff/flare dispensers. We have also developed a sensor-independent approach to sensor integration, providing a sophisticated display to aircrew for enhanced situational awareness.

With naval EW systems evolving, BAE Systems Australia recognises that systems must be more robust and easier to evolve as the threat situation changes, demonstrated by the new maritime open systems EW architecture. This allows EW suites to be integrated using a ‘plug-and-play’ approach, providing scalable solutions to be developed for different ship classes.

Hard/Soft kill coordination and Command/Control System interfaces are all provided.

In Service Support Systems:

EW systems are only as effective as their maintenance and support allows. BAE Systems Australia has the tools, technologies and personnel to cover a range of EW support activities, for both developed and third party systems.Mission support systems have been produced for the development of common libraries for ADF air assets, such as Wedgetail, ALR-2002 and AP-3C. This means reduced training and coding time for the end user in the development of mission software loads for the aircraft.

BAE Systems Australia also offers PRISM support for Navy vessels and field service engineering for the Elta EL/L-8222 ECM pod. EW Test and Evaluation services and products can be provided for a range of EW applications. The Generic Threat Simulator (GTS) has been developed for the evaluation of naval ESM and off-board countermeasures (ie Nulka). The GST pod is a unique asset in the evaluation of EW effectiveness, flying on the wing of a modified Learjet. The GTS pod has also been modified and is capable of carrying virtually any EW piece of equipment in a controlled environment, supported by skilled operators.